


the road not taken looks real good now

by mostlikelytobe



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Accidental Force Bond (Star Wars), Ben Solo Can't Look After Himself, Ben Solo Loves Rey, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben the asset, Eventual Rey/Ben Solo, F/M, Falling In Love, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Dyad (Star Wars), Horny Ben Solo, Idiots in Love, Implied Poe Dameron/Finn, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Jedi Luke Skywalker, Mandalorian inspired plot, Minor Poe Dameron/Finn, Not that slow of a burn at all tbh, Pilot Poe Dameron, Planet Jakku (Star Wars), Planet Jumping Fun, Rey Can Handle Herself, Rey kicks ass, Rey the bounty hunter, Slavery (mentioned), Soft Ben Solo, Stabbing, Undercover As Prostitute, Wookieepedia Research, You have to be quiet, Young Ben Solo, horny rey, no beta we die like men, somewhat slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:08:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28368162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mostlikelytobe/pseuds/mostlikelytobe
Summary: Rey, The Scavenger, is on what she hopes is her last bounty for Unkarr Plutt. It sounds like an easy enough job, some Imperial-wanted lowlife with only the name 'Kylo' to go on, who’s been spotted on a planet just a hop, skip and a jump away. If she can bring him in warm, freedom is hers.However, upon obtaining the asset things don’t go as smoothly as she planned and with more bounty hunters on their tail they discover a connection that runs a little deeper than they first thought.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Poe Dameron/Finn, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 13
Kudos: 33





	1. 1. Takodana > Jakku

For as much green as Takodana had, it also held a lot of darkness. An unsavoury underbelly festering away in dingy cantinas and bars where life from far and wide came together to hide, steal, or simply try to make their way in the galaxy.

Rey wasn’t here for any of that. She was tucked into a quiet booth sipping on a room temperature water pretending to read the Galactic News on the multiple Holonet screens that floated around the bar. As if Rey had time to keep up to date with the daily goings on of the galaxy, but to anyone who saw her she’d appear to be a sweet young thing just keeping herself informed.

**TOXIC SPILLAGE ON MALASTARE - THOUSANDS KILLED**

She’d been to Malastare just the once to beat information out of a Dug named Teemu. Nasty business, she ended up breaking all four of his limbs before he finally gave in.

**CANTONICA PODRACE TODAY - 9/1 ODDS - PLACE YOUR BETS**

She’d only ever watched Podracing in a bar like this one, never live. Rey makes a point of adding this to her to-do list once she’s free to roam.

Some Coruscanti punk, you can _always_ tell by their accent that they’re from Coruscant, had already tried flirting with her. She’d sent him packing by pretending she didn’t know Galactic Basic, Coroscanti’s never bothered with learning anything else and he swiftly moved on once he realised he wasn’t going to get his merry way with her.

She actually had her eye on a wanted Gran known as Ree-Yees who was stowed away in the opposite corner, flanked by a couple of mean-looking, but probably easily-beaten Weequays. They were drinking, eating and discussing something privately. The Weequays hadn’t clocked her in the booth at the perfect angle just across from them. 

Some armed guard they were.

Rey _could_ take the shot, because Of Course She Could. She had excellent, _perfect even_ , aim. However, she knew bringing a bounty in warm was worth more than cold, and by her calculations her debt was almost paid up, so the warmer she could bring them in, the better.

She’d been indebted to Unkar Plutt of Niima Outpost for almost ten years. Plutt controlled almost all of the water in the area surrounding the Outpost, so he controlled everyone that lived there too. Rey had been dumped there as an orphan and spent her formative years scavenging and cleaning parts in exchange for water and food. The problem with a back-water planet like Jakku was that ships didn’t often end up here and that meant that ships didn’t often crash there either. 

About twelve years ago, a decommissioned Star Destroyer had been hijacked by pirates and ended up smashing it into the Jakku desert. Meaning that at a ripe age of ten, Rey was able to begin a new-found career scavenging instead of just cleaning up rusted parts from older wrecks.

It was about two years into this that Rey had somehow managed to cause the destruction of this proverbial oasis. At least that’s what she was accused of; the memories were a little fuzzy, all Rey remembers is waking up chained up in a make-shift prison cell. Instead of selling her off as a slave, her scrappy personality and fighting spirit had, for a change, got her out of trouble instead of deeper into it. Plutt made a deal that she’d attain certain ‘assets’ in exchange for paying off her freedom, thus began Rey’s new illustrious career of working towards her ticket off Jakku and out from under Plutt’s slimy thumb.

To begin with Rey would be sent off with some lackie to a nearby world to obtain hard-to-come-by parts, artefacts and even a few small debt collections. Turns out, there were benefits to sending a twelve year old off-planet to collect bounty, no one suspected the sweet-looking child with a lisp was actually armed with a dagger and blaster and her tiny size meant she could stow away on ships and freighters with ease.

As Rey grew older, wiser and stronger, she was _trusted_ to go alone, but not before Plutt inserted one of those archaic tracking chips into her arm like she was some slave so she couldn’t just fly off and never return. Rey didn't complain, she preferred working alone. 

She pulls her cowl down a little to free her shoulders thus giving her better access to the blaster attached to her thigh. As a species Weequays had evolved a tough, leathery skin which provided an almost unnatural resistance to blaster fire, making them perfect bodyguards for lowlife scum like Ree-Yees. Sighing and releasing her hold on the trusty blaster, she’ll just have to do this the old fashioned way, the boring way, using her feminine wiles. 

Stretching out some tension from her neck and pulling her hair from the three buns, ensuring it fell ever-so seductively off her shoulders, Rey got up and strutted over to her target. Not a soul in the cantina even looked up or noticed; patrons minding their own business would come in very handy during the next six minutes or so. 

They didn’t even notice her arriving either, which annoyed her because these numbskull Weequays are supposed to be protecting him and how could anyone not notice _her_ walking up to them in a dive bar like this? Rey knows she’s not got much on the skin girls and waitresses who are tottering around the cantina but she knows she’s not bad to look at. 

“What’s a girl gotta do around here to get a famous face to buy her a drink?” Rey has plastered on her fakest, dumbest voice she only saves for the most prevalent of scum. They love a girl who isn’t smart enough to say no. 

The Gran looks up to her with his three obsidian eyes and has the gall to just blink at her. Does he not know who he’s dealing with?

“Famous face? I’d watch yourself girl,” his voice low, attempting to be dangerous. 

_Please._

She smiles sweetly in return and places her hand gently on one of his bodyguards shoulders, the coarse leather of his coat scratching her palm. She twiddles his wiry hair in her fingers. 

“I’d know you from anywhere, I trained at Jabba’s Palace on Tatooine,” Rey raises her eyebrows suggestively and his widen in surprise as he works out _just what_ she’s insinuating.

Although her smugness is a little short-lived as he eyes her suspiciously, “you’re a little young to have been at Jabba’s,” he turns his head to his guard who had snaked his hand up and around Rey’s waist.

If Rey was any less of a professional, she’d panic, obviously she’s too young to have been at Jabba’s, the slug was sandworm fodder way before she was born. 

“Exactly. I **was** one of the young ones,” she replies completely unphased and plasters another megawatt grin on her face. 

She pats her hand on the paw of the bodyguard who was trying to sneak it under her shirt. _What is it with everyone in this galaxy being a pervert?_

Yees’s long face softens and gives the bar staff a subtle nod to get them another round and pats his knee, “come join us, sister.”

She allows the bodyguard to give her waist a little squeeze, he’ll pay for that in a minute with his jugular. She turns her head at the other one and makes a note to rip out the tongue he keeps waggling at her. 

“What’s your name?” Yees asks as Rey stays put in between his guards. He’s spread out his long limbs as if to make his lap look more accommodating to a girl like her. 

“Kira,” she replies curtly before dropping her hand to her thigh to grab the vibroblade she keeps under her skirt at all times and stuffs it into the handsy bodyguard’s neck, killing him instantly. His body drops silently, his ale tankard clatters to the floor followed by his form. A shame really, because he deserved to suffer a little. Rey makes up for it with the other one and grabs that lecherous tongue he’d been sticking out at her and nails it to the table with the cutlery that was laid out awaiting their stew.

It all happens so quickly, just the way Rey likes it, neither the impaled Weequay or Yees knew what to do. That’s what you get when you employ morons as protection. Rey counts to three in her head before wiping her blade and popping it back into its hiding place on her thigh and takes the seat of the fallen bodyguard.

Ree-Yees looks panicked, his eyes darting around the cantina to see if he can spot anyone to assist, but the inhabitants continue with their dirty business like someone being slaughtered in here was a regular occurrence. 

“Now, Ree-Yees, we need to talk.” And Rey sat back, popping her feet onto the table and kicking the struggling still-alive Weequay bodyguard in the head, rendering him unconscious or more likely comatose. He falls to the ground leaving his tongue nailed to the table. She smiles sweetly and takes a drink of the deadman’s ale.

He gulps, “surely we can come to some sort of arrangement? Whatever I may or may not have done to you, I am very sorry.”

Rey chuckles, “what you did to me?” She pulls out her vibroblade again and twiddles it in her hands, “you couldn’t get within 10 klicks of me even if you wanted to.”

Then he jumps from his seat and attempts to clamber over the table and away from her. Rey only sighs as he trips over the corpse and lands on the floor on his back. 

Rey stands up slowly, there’s no need to rush, there’s never a need to rush if you want to get the job done right. And sits on his chest, her boot-clad feet pinning his arms. 

“You’re a wanted man, Yees.”

He struggles underneath her, Rey may be small but she’s all muscle and has him absolutely trapped. She’s not 100% certain on the _anatomy_ of a Gran but she’s pretty sure he’s _getting off_ on being held down by her. She punches him for the sheer audacity to do that. 

“Keep all of your _body parts_ to yourself, you hear me?” Rey says, grabbing him by the collar of his jacket. 

“Yes, yeah! Whatever you say. Just don’t hurt me!” Yees sputters.

Rey drops him and wonders how this low life with all the courage of a skittish loper had become so wanted and managed to survive so long with the Hutts. 

She rolls her eyes and mutters, “I’m not here to hurt you, I’m just taking you in.” And drops his collar.

She steps a little harder on his wrists and he yelps in protest and she snaps on one half of her binders on.

“Taking me in? Where?” He gets a little angry now he’s been detained, the worst ones always do. “Don’t you know who I am? Who I’m with? You’ll die for this, girl!” 

He’s thrashing underneath her and Rey gives him a bored expression. 

“I know exactly who you are, I’ve been following you for the last twelve standard days or so, in that time you’ve visited no less than eight brothels, four gang hideouts, where none of them would take you in for protection and a rather embarrassing stop at a medcenter,” he stops struggling, “I know there was no one with you besides those two nerf-herders and no one else wants to know. Let’s go.”

She jumps up and clamps his other hand into the binders. He struggles to scramble up on his own and she grabs his shoulder to steady him and leads him out of the cantina. Not a head looking up at them as they walk over the corpses Rey has left behind.

“Sorry about the mess,” Rey says to the barkeep and drops a few too many credits onto the surface.  
.  
.  
.  
.

“Look, whatever they’re paying you, I can give you double, triple even!” Yees pleads as she leads him back to her beaten ship. It’s a light-freighter with scavenged parts so it probably looks like a death trap to someone like him.

“I promise, you can’t beat what I’m working for.”

She gestures for him to make his way up the ramp and nudges him with her blaster when he doesn’t right away.

As the ramp closes behind her she eyes him taking a look around at his surroundings in disgust. She rolls her eyes, _kriffing snob._

“Grab a chair, get comfy,” Rey says casually as she starts up the thrusters, the whole ship groans, Yees looks nervous. “It’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

All of his eyes dart around the cockpit at the groaning sound of the engines and thrusters coming to life, “is this thing _safe?_ ” He asks incredulously, almost like he has a choice.

If Rey wanted to be honest she could tell him ‘ _actually, this ship probably isn’t safe at all. It’s part light-freighter part scavenged TIE fighter parts, so there’s enough room for you and my other assets to be stowed away and quick enough to get us back to Jakku quicker than the standard ship. If we’re not ripped apart by solar winds and hyperspace because this ship is really not secure at all._ ’ but instead she just grins, “of course.”

They make it out of the green, luscious landscape of Takodana and Rey gives it one more wistful look before the inky darkness of space takes over and she pops in the coordinates back to Jakku. Part of her wonders how long it’ll be before she sees green again, how long it’ll be before she sees green as a free woman.

“Where are you taking me anyway?” He asks, she looks at him out of the corner of her eye, he’s sitting back in his chair like he owns it.

“Jakku.”

He jumps and sputters, “that junk yard?”

She turns swiftly towards, “that _junkyard_ is my home, thank you very much.”

He blinks all three eyes slowly and she turns her back on him to fiddle with the hyperdrive monitor.

“Still makes it a junkyard though doesn’t it, Scavenger?” His voice has a malicious tilt to it and Rey already knows what’s coming next and sighs.

The binders around his wrist are suddenly around her neck as he clumsily attempts to strangle her, “not so cocky now, are you, girl?”

Rey rolls her eyes and her hand flutters to the pocket in her poncho, “oh no, what are you doing.” She says a little bored.

“I’ll show you,” he growls, “I think I’ll have you bent over the main controls begging me to stop.” 

Rey can’t help but laugh at the idea of this pathetic being doing anything like that to her and Yees attempts to pull hard on her throat but before the binders even make contact with her skin she’s jabbed him in the neck with a tranquiliser dart she keeps on her. She might be tough, but a woman on her own needs extra protection when they’re galavanting around this Galaxy.

He gasps and stumbles back and Rey stands and pushes him towards the cargo hold, “I really thought you might have kept me entertained on this journey back to Jakku,” Rey pauses for dramatic effect, “I was really looking forward to hearing _all about your exploits._ ”

With a final push to his chest she shoves him into a holding cell and he slumps down, almost unconscious. “I can take you in warm or cold,” she begins as Yees’s eyes droop, “but I guess I’ll taking you in knocked-out-cold is just as acceptable.”  
.  
.  
.  
.

Rey was playing a game of virtual Drone Blaster on her HoloPad by the time the Jakku system came into view. It never did feel like coming home no matter how many times she left and returned. 

“Girl!” She could hear him bellow from the hold, “where are you? This is inhumane!”

Rey rolls her eyes (again) and gets up to see how her little asset was doing, “well you’re _not_ humanoid are you, Yees?” She taps the bars separating them, “so I don’t think it really counts.”

He groans and gets up, “please let me out. I’ve been down here for hours.”

“I know you have, I’ve been counting.” Rey replies boredly, “we’re almost there anyway, I’m about to start the landing cycle.”

He grabs the bars and slips a hand through them to reach for her, “please don’t take me in! I can do anything! I don’t deserve this!”

Rey stops in her tracks and looks at him in disgust, “you are the low-life pond scum I fully expected you to be. Now I don’t know who wants you after Plutt is finished with you, but they’re welcome to you.”

He growls, she can see the bloodshot veins at the edges of his eyes, “I’ll get you for this.”

Rey yawns, she’s not slept in a few days, “that’s what they all say.” She turns her back on and toddles off back into the cockpit leaving him screaming and shouting.

“Why are they always so loud,” Rey mumbles to herself as she begins to slow down their approach so they can safely enter Jakku’s scorching atmosphere. She spots a Star Destroyer looming over the Eastern side of the planet and wonders what it’s doing all the way out here, Jakku is a Star Destroyer graveyard. 

“Someone must be in trouble,” she muses as the Jakku heat bakes the ship in its descent. “Come on, hold it together, baby.” Rey mumbles somewhat nervously as it rattles and gives the ceiling a little pat for good luck. She breathes a sigh of relief when they reach a safe altitude without bursting into flames.

Spotting Niima Outpost below Rey brings it in gently and sighs, “another happy landing.”

Although her peaceful revery is interrupted by her captive hollering and throwing things from the hold. “Bringing him in warm is more beneficial to you, Rey.” She says to herself and hops down the ramp to be greeted by Teedo and a pair of burly looking assistants.

“He’s all yours,” she mumbles and struts off to Plutt’s office. She can hear Yees protesting as Teedo and his lackeys extract him.

The Jakku sun is as unforgiving as ever and in the few weeks she’s been away Rey hasn’t missed it at all. She eyes the queue of men, women and children lining up to see Plutt and hand over their daily finds in exchange for portions, a couple of the children wave to greet her. Most of them don’t speak with her anymore, she used to try and bring things back for them to hand in, bolts, hyperdrives, compressors, nothing huge but Plutt grew wise to it, added an additional 500 credits to Rey’s debt and had a few of the men beaten to a pulp. They all keep their distance now.

“Rey!” Plutt’s voice booms, “finally made it back I see.”

Rey crosses her arms across her chest, “in one piece.” She replies.

“I was beginning to think you’d skipped out on me,” he hands over a measly two portions to an old woman and her three children in exchange for parts that're worth at least eight or nine. “But I know you’re not stupid enough for that,” his voice has a dangerous edge and his pudgy fingers tap on the detonator to the slave tracking chip that’s embedded in her arm.

“I wouldn’t be here if I was that stupid, Plutt.”

He laughs, “you’re right girl!” He then closes his shutters with a loud thud, the queue of people begin protesting, “come back tomorrow!” He barks.

They dissipate, although there’s some grumblings of ‘we’re already starving’ and ‘what a kriffing tight ass’ by a few of the older, braver ones. 

He waddles out and reaches out his hand towards her, “you got Yees then?”

Rey reluctantly takes his clammy hand, as he leads her into his office. “He’s here, Teedo is signing him in.”

Rey never asks questions about her bounties, get the name, get them in, get out, is her policy. The quicker she’s done the better.

He gestures towards the chair on the opposite side of his desk and takes a seat. She looks at him boredly and he chuckles, “want another already?”

She blinks, “I want to know how many I have left, you promised you’d tell me.”

He looks at her thoughtfully and then takes a large gulp of a pitcher of water next to him, letting an obscene amount run down his chin and jowls. For a creature that’s living on a planet that’s so starved of water, he shows no respect for it.

“Yees was a good catch,” he begins, “but not quite enough to get you off the hook.”

She groans, “give me something big then.”

He taps away on the data pad in front of him and hums thoughtfully, “you’ve worked your way through most of the Guild’s most wanted,” he takes another gluttonous swig and Rey imagines stabbing him in the throat and wonders if water would pour out before the blood.

“Plutt, give me a big one. Big enough to be the final job. You just said it yourself, you’re running out.”

He growls, “I could just make you start scavenging again? How would you like that, girl?”

Rey’s face remains impassive, Plutt’s outbursts were nothing but bluster. “Find me a job.” She stands and walks out, “you know where to find me.”  
.  
.  
.  
.

Rey treks back to what has been her home for as long as she can remember. The stranded AT-AT sat starkly against the dunes. The sun had set hours ago so it shouldn’t be too hot in there after baking all day. She managed to get a few portion scraps and a container of water for the evening in exchange for a battery pack she’d pickpocketed in Takodana. 

Crawling into the tight space she’s welcomed by the familiar scent of home, in all it’s rusty glory. Her wall of markings scratched into the surface that she uses to keep a tab on the ‘assets’ she’d brought Plutt covered three whole walls now. 

Laying in her hammock and chewing on the biochemically-grown ration paste she’d been handed, Rey closes her eyes and tries to let her mind drift. She dreams of leaving Jakku without this stupid chip in her arm, without a debt over her head and without a reason to come back. She dreams of luscious green forests and deep blue oceans, sprawling cities and frozen mountains.

She also dreams of a boy.

She’s never seen his face, only knows his presence. He only comes through after she’s tucked herself away in this rusting AT-AT and lets herself _go_. 

It’s as comforting as a warm flame on a cold night, as delicate as the petals on her desert blooms and runs as deep as cavernous canyons. It should be frightening that she can tune herself into this other being somewhere across the Galaxy but this is the only time she feels like home. 

They’ve never spoken or even looked at each other. In her younger days when it first started she attempted to speak or look at the figure but the connection broke every time. She’s learned if she just accepts he’s _there_ it lasts much longer.

He’s not a boy anymore she imagines, he’s grown much like she has. Sometimes if it’s strong enough she can smell the pollution of large cities or the ice of frozen planets where she assumes he may be. She wonders if he can do the same, if he knows the smell of her rusty home or the heat of the sand dunes. By the time she opens her mouth to ask, the connection breaks and she wakes up with a jolt. Reminding herself she’s just lonely and it’s all a dream, the boy isn’t real, the connection doesn’t exist. And she’s all alone.

There’s a bang on the roof of her AT-AT and Rey startles awake, she chastises herself for allowing herself to get so carried away and unaware of her surroundings. This is exactly why she daren’t dream. Exactly why she tries not to sleep here. She doesn’t need to be plagued by these desperate dreams of a made-up connection with an imaginary boy.

“What is it?” She shouts.

“It’s Teedo,” a mechanical voice replies, “Plutt has a job for you.”

He bangs the roof again for good measure. The sound of it penetrating Rey’s skull like a hammer. 

“Yeah, and? Can’t it wait until morning?”

“Boss says you need to go now.”

Teedo raps three more sharp bangs on the roof just to make sure she’s awake and she’s left alone once more.  
.  
.  
.  
.

As Rey trudged through the Outpost at a little past midnight, the sounds of a flock of Ripper-Raptors could be heard in the distance, she grumbles about her rude awakening. This job better be worth it.

Plutt’s office was lit up as it always was and when she entered it was just him in there. The chair he’s sat in barely holding his weight. 

“Teedo said you had something for me?”

“It’s a big one, Rey. A lot of people are after this one.”

She just rolls her eyes and snatches the data pad out of his clammy hand.

“Who’s the perp?”

“Not a criminal per say, just wanted. By a lot of people.” Plutt sounds kind of shifty. “Humanoid, male, 29 years old.”

Rey hums thoughtfully and looks at the image, it’s a boy with a mop of dark hair, face marred by one too many moles; he looks gangly and a little awkward. She then notices it’s dated over ten years ago. "Is this the most up to date image?”

Plutt nods, “he’s been on the run, last known whereabouts were Eriadu, planet hopping across the Hydian Way apparently.”

Rey severely doubted a wanted man was planet hopping along one of the Galaxy’s major hyperspace routes, but she’d entertain the idea. 

“Kylo,” she mutters and stares at the decade old image, “weird name.”

Plutt chuckles, “Imp code.”

Rey’s eyebrows furrow, “why are the Imps still chasing a teenage runaway?”

She takes in the image again and tries to imagine what he’d look like now at the age of 29, with so many possibilities swimming through her mind she shakes her head. Now is not the time to wonder if her latest asset is a looker. 

“That’s not for us to ask, is it girl.”

She nods, “okay. I’ll take it.”

Plutt grins, “if you fail there won’t be another like this for a long time, you’ll be back to ripping apart Star Destroyers.”

She narrows her eyes, “have I ever not brought in an asset?”

“They want him alive, no damage to the goods.”

Rey snatches the data cube that Plutt was offering to her in his palm with further information downloaded, “wouldn’t dream of it.”

“They want him quick too, you saw that Impstar hanging over us like a knife.”

“I can only do what I can with what you’ve given me.”  


* * *

  
High above the Jakku atmosphere a Star Destroyer did indeed loom menacingly. A legion of Stormtroopers made their way through a seemingly endless maze of hallways. Their practised steps booming down the hallway in unison.

However, at one particular junction two troopers at the very end broke off from the flock to head down another in the opposite direction. One looked a little short to be a Stormtrooper.

“Finn, are you sure this is the right way?”

“Keep your mouth shut, soldier.”

The shorter Trooper groaned, “no one is here, there’s no need for that.”

“Destination is after the next two right turns, do you think you can keep a lid on it til we get there?” He asked exasperatedly. “We’re almost there.”

“You two! Why have you broken from formation?” They skidded to a halt.

The taller, the one who seemed like he knew where he was going straightened up, “we’ve been sent for reconditioning, Sir.”

The Captain eyed them, “what are your Operating Numbers?”

The shorter one sighed, “Finn, we don’t have time for this,” and punched the Captain square in the face, knocking him out instantly.

“Now what are we going to do with this, Poe?!”

“Look, I took _evasive action_ , okay?”

“This is why you’ll never be a General, you know that right?”

“Okay, Stormtrooper extraordinaire. Let’s stuff him in that supply cupboard.”

After dragging the unconscious Captain into a tiny cupboard, the pair make their way to the destination. 

Once safely inside and checking the coast is clear the shorter one removes his helmet, “how the kriffing hell did you ever spend all day in these things?”

His dark curly hair is sticking to his face with sweat, however he’s still cutting a handsome figure, even with a five o’clock shadow. 

The taller one follows suit, “you get used to it when you’re stuffed inside it from age 8.” He’s a little sweaty but more together better off than his counterpart.

Poe slaps him on the shoulder. “Let’s find what we need and get out of here.”

Finn nods and inserts his data stick into the computer, “what are you looking for exactly?” Poe asks.

Finn hums as he searches through the data, “what they know about Solo’s last known whereabouts. They’re out here for something and I doubt it’s scavenged ship parts.”

Poe nodded and kept his eye on the door, blaster poised just in case, “do you think they’ll have something?”

Finn remains silent as he continues to scan the information in front of him as quickly as he can. He sees schedules, coordinates, training programmes, but nothing so far on ‘SOLO’. Just as he’s about to close the damn thing he sees it. 

“Aha!” Finn exclaims, “they’ve enlisted some bounty hunter from here, The Scavenger.”

Poe raises his eyebrows, “quite the name for a lowlife.”

Finn chuckles, “looks like they’ve been commissioned and been sent to Eriadu.”

Poe scoffs, “we already tried there and half the Hydian Way, this is a dead end. I can’t believe we snuck onto a kriffing Sta-”

Finn cuts him off, “I think we should follow them.”

“What?”

Finn’s eyebrows furrow as he concentrates on reading this file as quickly as he can, “looks like this Scavenger is a pretty prolific obtainer, cleared off most of the Guild’s most-wanted in the last few years. They might lead us to him.”

Poe shakes his head in response, blaster still aimed at the door, “let this Scavenger do all the hard work, all we need to do is follow the tracking beacon they’ve installed on his ship,” Finn says.

Poe rolls his eyes, “we can’t go back to the General with this.”

“We won’t, we’ll tell her we know where he is.”

Poe’s eyes almost pop out of his head, “the last time I lied to the General I did a season in the shipyards on Corellia, no way Finn.” He paces back and forth, “I can’t lie to her, least of all about _this_. She’s been looking too long.”

Finn sighs, “look this guy must be good, they wouldn’t drag out this Star Destroyer to Jakku of all places if they didn’t think so.”

Poe rubs his forehead, “get the data and we’ll send a message to the General.”

Finn ruffles Poe’s flattened mop, “atta boy!”

“But we’ll tell her we have a **lead**. We don’t know for definite. Just a lead.”

Finn removes his datastick and pops his helmet back on and hands Poe his, “let’s get out of here, partner.”  


* * *

  
Across the Galaxy in a city in the clouds an ageing woman wearing ceremonial robes watches out over the sprawl below. Although still breathtakingly beautiful, _you’re not royalty without looking the part_ , she’s tired and there’s a sadness to her eyes that don’t quite get hidden by well-practised manners.

She’s waiting for a call, _the call_. Searching was more exhausting than running; she was sure of it. Not that others felt the same, running was always the easier option; she had no choice but to stay and fight. Everyone else seemed to run away. 

“General?” A voice breaks through the silence, cutting it like a hot knife through butter. It’s a welcomed intrusion. 

“What is it?” She turns around, her greying braid swaying behind her. The pinks and oranges of the clouds behind her almost make her look like she’s glowing. The girl in front of the woman was almost in a daze. 

“We’ve had a new lead on your son.” It’s said with an edge of nervousness, like they’ve had this conversation before.

She smiles, _finally_. “A reliable one, Tico?”

The girl, Rose, smiles in return too, “as reliable as they come.”

“Tell them to proceed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is my first attempt an in-universe fic (and second attempt as fit in general), I’m usually a bit of a sucker for the modern AU but this idea came to me thanks to some Mando-inspired daydreaming and I think there’s legs to have some fun!
> 
> As something of a New Years resolution I wanted to get this first chapter up and out there and I'll update where I can. Hoping to update a few times a month.
> 
> A little housekeeping, I’ve tried to stick to canon where I can and have spent as much time where I think it was necessary to research on Wookieepedia but there’s a fair bit I’ve had to take some creative license on (such as travel times between planets etc… as it seems Star Wars in general fits this around the plot anyway... which is totally the spirit right?!) so I sincerely hope I get things right and don’t incite any anger with my ways… But it’s all fiction hey!
> 
> You’ll find all links to where I’ve done any research and taken any inspiration from below  
> [Takodana](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Takodana)  
> [Malastare](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Malastare)  
> [Malastarian Fuel](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Malastarian_fuel)  
> [Dug](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Dug)  
> [Cantonica](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Cantonica)  
> [Podracing](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Podracing)  
> [Gran Species](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Gran)  
> [Ree-Yees](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ree-Yees)  
> [Weequay](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Weequay)  
> [Vibroblade](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vibroblade)  
> [Loper](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Loper) \- took a bit of creative license here!  
> [Medcenter](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Medcenter)  
> [Drone Blaster](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Drone-Blaster)  
> [Ripper-Raptor  
>  ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ripper-raptor)[Eriadu](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eriadu)  
> [Hydian Way](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Hydian_Way)  
> [Impstar](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_phrases_and_slang) \- TIE pilot slang term for an Imperial Star Destroyer.  
> [Corellia](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Corellia)


	2. 2. Ring of Kafrene

“I’m only going to ask you one more time before you won't be able to speak anymore,” Rey says it through gritted teeth.

The Rhodian, Rey didn’t ask his name before she bashed his head onto the wall, could only groan in response. 

“His last known whereabouts was _this_ planet,” another crack of the skull against the wall, “and from what I hear, _you_ gave him somewhere to hide before he skipped off-world.” Rey gives his groin a kick for good measure, “so, what do you know about Kylo.”

He coughs up blood, narrowly missing Rey’s poncho, “he’ll kill me if I tell you.”

Rey rolls her eyes, “I’ll do a lot worse if you _don’t_ tell me,” she smiles and slams him against the wall, “and once I have my hands on him he won’t get anywhere near you.”

Rey raises her trusty Vibroblade and places it against his throat, it’s surface scorching the Rhodian’s green tinged skin. “Ahhh, aaaaah!”

Rey raises an eyebrow and pushes it in a little deeper but not quite enough to slice the flesh, “okay, okay!”

“Good,” Rey says sweetly, “things tend to go better when people cooperate with me.”

Rey releases him but keeps a grip on his shoulder so he can’t scurry away. She’s not done with him yet.

“Now, tell me where Kylo went.”

The Rhodian spits out some blood to the side of him, “I got him transported to the Ring of Kafrene, about six standard months ago, he’s probably still there.” He’s babbling at her, his eyes darting to her face and knife

Rey narrows her eyes, “ _probably_ isn’t good enough for me.”

“It’s all I know! I swear! The cargo ship I sent him there on isn’t due to leave there for at least a few more weeks and I doubt he’s managed to talk himself onto another transport,” he says quickly, desperate to get away. “He told me he’d be keeping a low profile!”

Rey nods, barely, and releases him, “get the kriff out here, don’t let me see you again.”

“And don’t talk to anyone!” Rey adds on and fires a few warning shots at his feet, she laughs as he jumps to avoid them. If she wanted to shoot him, he’d be face down in the dirt already.

The Rhodian scampers off down the alley and out of view. Coming to Eriadu hadn’t been a complete waste of time after all. She’d been here a bit longer than she would have liked, after landing just off the Carrion Plateau and a night spent hunting the few streets of a small village, she’d found out some information on a Rhodian that had been spotted with Kylo a few months back.

There wasn’t much here, so it was as good a place as any for someone to hide, Kylo must have done well here for a while. She knew the tales of the Tarkin family sending their male members into the wilderness to prove themselves or perish, it didn’t seem like the place that pathetic excuse for a Rhodian should be living, but maybe he was hiding too.

Putting her helmet back on, Rey made her way back to the ship, a shiny new one thanks to the Imps who handed it over. Time to get to the Ring of Kafrene.  
.  
.  
.  
.

Poe watched in disgust as a Veermok relieved itself directly in front of him. “I can’t believe I’m back in this swamp.”

Finn laughed, “it’s hardly a swamp, more of a jungle.”

“I’ve been to plenty of jungles, pal. And this ain’t one of ‘em.” He waves his hands in an attempt to shoo the creature away, “go on, get out here!”

Finn eyed it warily, “they can be pretty vicious, you know.”

“We’ve been here before, Finn. I know.”

They’re waiting in a small village for any sign of this ‘Scavenger’, following the ship’s tracking beacon here and had been here a few days, but they were yet to spot him. 

Suddenly a bleeding Rhodian comes running down an alley, Poe taps Finn’s chest and points at him, “that’s suspicious huh.”

Finn nods and makes his way over to him, “hey, are you okay?”

The Rhodian looks startled and spots the two stranger’s blasters and off-world clothing and immediately thinks they’re with _her_. “Look, I told your friend everything I know!”

Poe catches on and overacts, like he always does, “oh yeah, _our friend_ ,” a wink for good measure at Finn, who scoffs in response. “Could you repeat everything he said for us? You know just in case he doesn’t come back?”

The Rhodian goes to open his mouth but his face is quickly fried by a blaster bolt to the back of the head, Finn yells as he’s covered in brains and goo.

“Oh man, I hate brains. Poe, I **hate** brain. Help me!”

Poe bends down to get a better look at the corpse and turns his head to watch the shadowy figure running back down the alley, “I think that was our _friend_ ensuring he kept his mouth shut.”

“I’m gonna be sick!” Finn wretches, bent over and attempting to aim into a nearby bush.

Poe sighs and runs a hand through his hair before standing back up and making his way over to Finn, he hands him his scarf to wipe his face of the brains

Finn takes the scarf and begins to wipe away the gooey substance from his face, “now what?”

Poe’s teeth worry on his lip as he thinks up a plan, “well, if that was the Scavenger and I’ll bet 100 credits that it _was_ , he’ll be leaving right about now.”

Finn is still struggling with the ooze making its way down the side of his face and wretches again, Poe rolls his eyes. “Let’s get back to the ship and follow the signal.”

“That’s a plan,” Finn begins and throws Poe’s scarf into the bushes, “but I’m getting straight into the fresher.”  
.  
.  
.  
.

Rey spent the entire three standard day flight to The Ring of Kafrene absolutely furious. She knew that slimy Rhodian would blabber to the first form of life he’d come into contact with. She should have just slit his throat there and then. Maker knows who the kriff it was he was talking to. 

He didn’t get a chance to open his mouth anyway. 

It didn’t help that Rey had been on edge ever since she’d left Jakku. After stopping to refuel at Giju before picking up the Rimma Trade route for a relatively smooth journey to Eriadu, she’d been ambushed by a gang of Guild bounty hunters and kept her helmet on ever since. They don’t need to know what she looks like just yet, but she’d managed to evade them and throw them off course. But that pair of guys the Rhodian was talking to made her nervous. She’d need to keep her wits about her from now on. **No More Distractions.**

The Ring of Kafrene was a bit further than Rey would have liked, with no clear hyperspace route, she’d had to spend a couple more days than originally anticipated so by the time she landed in a dingy docking bay, Rey was keen to get out and begin her search. 

Freedom was so close, she could taste it.

The deep-space trading post and mining colony was a monstrous construction slung between a pair of asteroids. The durasteel structures reached high into the sky and it was only if you looked long enough you’d see there was no sky, just the surface of the opposite asteroid staring straight back at you. More industrially built that Coruscant, it was in essence the perfect place for this Kylo to hide. Rey was impressed.

“Give the ship a once over, refuel and refill the supplies,” Rey said to the band of droids who were entering the ship, each one ignored her. She sighed, “I’ll pay upfront.” Suddenly eight or nine were surrounding her, no taller than her knees and beeping away.

“Yes, yes, that’s fine.” Rey muttered, “imperial credits okay?”

The droids buzzed excitedly and Rey handed it over, the Imps had given her a case full of credits for any ‘expenses’ - why not spend them?

“Comm me when you’re done.”

Wrapping herself into her poncho and ensuring her blaster and Vibroblade were suitably secure, Rey made her way towards the exit but stopped short and said over her shoulder, “I don’t want any meatheads near my ship, you all understand? If it’s not **me** , shoot them.”

The droids nod and go back to their work, tinkering with bolts and spanners.

The area surrounding the docking bay was as rough and ready as any docking bay adjunct area Rey had been to. There were vendors trying to sell stolen goods and street food, beggars using their children and injuries as leverage for passers-by to take pity on them and bright vibrant graffiti covering every inch of every wall. From less-than-flattering images of senate members or high-ranking Imperial representatives, to curse words and memorials. Rey stopped and took a moment to marvel at the artwork. Graffiti wasn’t something you came by on Jakku.

_**‘Where good dreams go bad’** _

Rey smiled at the message sprawled across the tin wall in neon colours.

She was definitely in the right place. She could feel it.  
.  
.  
.  
.

Rey enjoyed the spectacle of cities, she’d never live in one, but visiting was always fun. The bright, unnatural lights and colours were entertaining, the mix of lifeforms were fascinating and the food was to-die-for.

Kafrene was a sprawling labyrinth of tight, busy alleyways and roads leading to pretty much nowhere. The prefabricated houses lining the street-level were covered in graffiti and were masked by wafting ammonia from ventilation shafts, you didn’t need a breathing apparatus to walk the streets, but Rey thinks it would help. Each and every turn seems like you’d gone back on yourself. A quirk of Kafrene was outside of these ground-level shacks the layout of the colony changed almost daily, if she wasn’t fast she’d have to find her way back to the docking bay in a technically brand new city. A maze-like nightmare. No wonder he was hiding here. It was perfect.

If she wasn’t so determined to get him under lock and key, she thinks they might actually get along pretty well. 

She’d reached a slightly less than bright side of town, where the streets were still crowded but people made more of an effort to hide their face, exactly where you’d expect to find someone hiding. She wasn’t sure _how_ but Rey knew she was close, like something was calling out to her. 

Her forth dive-bar of the night was the quietest of the bunch. There were the usual suspects, a few Biths playing popular cantina music, their flutes adding a delightful tone to the seedy surroundings. The bar was long and thin and ended at a point where a pair of Twi-lek girls danced seductively around a pole, patrons whooped and threw credits of indeterminable currency at their feet, a droid was quick to collect. The whole place was doused in darkness save for the blue and red stage lights, giving everyone a either a hot red or frosty blue hue. 

She sat at the bar and acted as demure and innocent as she could and waited for the inevitable line of ‘ _what’s a nice girl like you, doing in a place like this?_ ’. Just as she accepted a bowl of fried crispics and a mug of iced caf from the bartender (Rey could tell this was going to be a long night) she was bumped into by a solid figure and it clattered to the floor.

Rey, startled (and annoyed she didn’t see it coming), she groaned and leaned down to retrieve her now _empty_ mug.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” a deep voice rumbles, “let me get you something else.”

Rey resisted the urge to laugh at the awful pick-up line and raised her eyes to meet the face of the form who had bumped into her and she was frozen on the spot. Dark hair, prominent nose, moles, full lips. He’d filled out, for sure, but he still looked a little awkward. It was a little endearing. It was _him._

“Oh, um.” Why couldn’t she get her words out? She felt all the blood rush to her cheeks. Even in this deep blue light, she knew she looked as red as a rathtar.

“Loth cat got your tongue?” He leaned on the bar and grinned, by his body language and stance Rey immediately knew he was drunk out of his mind. He stank of Corellian brandy (which couldn’t have been cheap this far out), Rey shook herself out of this ridiculous state and plastered on her best girlish smile.

“You frightened me, sir.” She fluttered her lashes and his grin deepened, “first night here you see. Needed caf to calm my nerves.”

He nods and takes one of her fried crispics and shoves it into his ridiculous mouth with two of his thick fingers, he makes a popping noise with his lips. “I’ve got a fine bottle of brandy in my booth, you know.” His eyes dip to her neck and he runs the finger he just pulled out of his mouth, wet with spit, across the top of her hand, “come join me? It’ll calm your nerves better than the caf this joint sells.”

 **Bingo.** She’s in.

She smiles again and lets him take her hand and lead her back to his booth. His walking is a little clumsy and Rey knows immediately she’s getting him wasted and back to her ship within the hour. This is the easiest job yet.  
.  
.  
.  
.

It’s an hour or so later and they (he) has polished off most of his bottle. Everytime they take a shot she grins and gestures for him to start and she throws hers over her shoulder, giving him a disgusted look after, “awful! That’s just awful stuff!”

She’s leaning on him shamelessly, her hand resting on the open buttons of his black shirt, toying with the fabric to tease the idea that she just might let her fingertips graze the skin underneath. He’s got his hand around her waist, and Rey would be lying if she said it didn’t feel delightful. It’s big, heavy and warm and he pats her rump like it’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s nice to be wanted.

If she were any other girl and he was (literally) any other man, she might have taken him on a date.

“You know, you’ve shared your bottle of brandy with me,” Rey says innocently, looking up at him through her lashes, she undoes the button, “and I don’t even know your name.”

He laughs deeply, she feels it in his chest, his other hand comes to rest on top of hers, keeping it right there on his hot skin, “what’s yours sweetheart?” He drops the lightest of kisses on her jawline, “or should I keep calling you _sweetheart_?”

She resists the urge to kick him in the balls, “I guess I just wanted to know what I should scream later.”

He coughs on nothing and it jolts her up and down, she laughs and pours him yet another glass of brandy, “good point.” He shoots it back in one, the golden-brown colour of the liquid staining his lips, a drop sits tantalisingly on the corner of his mouth, she resists another urge to lick it off. “Kylo, you can call me Kylo,” his eyes wander down her neck to the swell of her breasts. Rey had removed her poncho as soon as they’d gotten into the booth. 

She smiles deeply, knowing her dimples are working wonders on him, “Kira,” she then lifts her hand between them and offers it to him to shake.

He grins and engulfs hers with his own, Rey swallows back a moan at the idea of them holding her by the waist whilst she impa-

Kylo cuts off her thought process with a clumsy press of his lips to hers. He doesn’t aim dead on, and it’s more half her mouth, half her cheek. She can taste the bitter notes of the brandy but the softness of his mouth against hers is intoxicating and she finds herself wrapping an arm around the back of his neck to pull him closer.

“Another round?” He pants, a little out of breath, a little out of his mind. He probably can’t believe his luck.

Rey eyes the empty bottle, he’ll need a few more to be truly pliant enough to get him on an Imperial ship without him making a fuss. “My treat,” she says with a grin and gestures to the barkeep to bring over another bottle and hands over the credits.

He grins lazily at her, “so what _is_ a nice place like you doing in a girl like this?”

Maybe he is drunker than she thought.

“I just finished my studies at Rudrig U,” she supplies effortlessly, it’s her usual schtick, men never listen, they just hear that she’s young and innocent, “and I’m taking a gap year.”

Even in his inebriated state, he looks interested, “you’re a long way from home, sweetheart.”

“That’s kind of the idea of a gap year, _Kylo_.”

He laughs and sits up as the barkeep drops off their bottle and two fresh glasses.

“What’s your story? Spend your time picking up innocent college graduates passing through?”

He smiles, it’s soft, almost affectionate looking. Rey’s stomach ties in a knot, it’s like he already knows this, “I’m on something of an extended gap year myself.”

She doesn’t ask anymore questions, but she does join him in one (just the one) drink. Just to see what the fuss was about.

Rey was right when she was lying. This stuff was awful.  


* * *

  
“Are you sure the coordinates are for Kafrene?” Poe asks as they make their approach to the asteroid mega structure.

BB-8, his handy droid beeps enthusiastically, “okay buddy, I trust you.”

Finn walks into the cockpit, after his brain splatter fiasco he’d jumped in the fresher and needed to lay down for a while. A while turned into the entire flight.

“Sorry, guess I needed it,” he rested his hand on Poe’s shoulder as he looked out at the view in front of him. 

Poe tapped Finn’s hand affectionately, “no problem, BB-8 kept me company.”

Finn whistled, “this is something else huh.”

Poe agreed silently, it was always a sight to behold. The astronomically huge structures that bridged the two asteroids together were truly an industrial marvel.

“You know how I always say, this is the worst place we’ve been to?” Poe asks.

“Yeah…” Finn replies eyeing his partner warily.

“Well, this really _is_ the worst place we’ve been to. I’m serious, we need to be careful.”

Finn gives Poe’s shoulder another squeeze, “we’re close this time.”

“And this Scavenger is pretty dangerous too.”

Finn sits down next to him in the co-pilot's seat, “we’ll get him before the Scavenger does, I promise.”  
.  
.  
.  
.

“That’s the Scavenger’s ship.” Poe says as they make their way out of their docking bay, “107-B, the one opposite.”

Finn looks over and sees a small army of droids working on it, “should we go check it out?”

“Good point, might find something on them. Give us an idea of who we’re dealing with.”

They make their way into docking bay 107-B and are instantly apprehended by a reconditioned KX-series security droid.

“Halt. Intruders. You do not have permission to be within this docking bay. Remove yourselves immediately.”

Finn raised his hands, “whoa whoa buddy. We’re sorry. We just docked in 107-F and took a wrong turn. We’ll go right away.”

The droid stares back stoically as it weighs up the options in its programming whether to blow their brains out or accept the excuse. 

“Accepted. The exit is back the way you came and to your left. Now leave.”

Finn nods, “sure, sure. Sorry again.” He spots BB-8 at the base of the Scavengers ship, plugging itself into the docking bay’s computer; he'd need a few more seconds to download anything.

“While you’re here, could you point me and my friend here in the direction of a batch of decent Space Waffles? I hear they’re the best from here.”

Finn hopes he sounds convincing. KX-Series aren’t known for their etiquette and more known for being trigger happy. 

The droid’s brain whirs away as it thinks about the request, BB-8 beeps happily and pulls away from the computer, seemingly happy to have retrieved the information he required. 

“Space Waffles are only available from Coruscant or Lothal. Where do you think you are?”

Finn slaps his forehead in faux realisation and Poe laughs, “that last hyperspace jump has clearly fried my friend’s brains. I’m gonna get him to the closest medcenter for sure,” Poe supplies and begins to step back, hiding BB-8 behind his legs in the process. 

The KX-Series doesn’t seem overly satisfied but points them towards the exit, “you’ll find a medcenter on the opposite corner of the docking bay exit.”

They breathe a sigh of relief and make their exit, “there’s a cafe around here that sells traditional broth, I’m sure of it.” BB-8 rolls gently by Poe’s feet as he speaks to Finn. 

“I’m starving too. We’ll see what BB-8 got from the computer.”

The docking bay foyer is bustling with weary travellers and droids moving cargo back and forth. Poe spots the small cafe that sells the aforementioned broth and orders them both a bowl. 

“Okay buddy, whaddya got?” 

BB-8 whirs excitedly and projects the details onto the table so the pair of men can read his findings. 

“Good job!” Poe says and rubs the droid's head, “he got a track to the Scavenger’s comm link, so we can get a position on him. And find out when his ship is ready to go. If he finds Ben, we could ambush when he comes back.”

“See! Told you it was worth it.” Finn says with a mouthful of broth.

Poe rolls his eyes and grabs a napkin to dab Finn’s chin, “yeah, yeah you were right.” He takes a long sip of his broth, “could you get a track on the comm, BB-8?”

BB-8 nods his head and begins working out just where the Scavenger is on this literal labyrinth.

Finn continues to slurp his broth like a starving beast, “you know what, I’ve got a good feeling about this.”  


* * *

  
They’re two thirds of the way through this new bottle and Kylo is absolutely _sloshed_. If Rey didn’t need to bring him in in exchange for her freedom she’d be totally enamoured by his boyish charms. 

“You’re not _nearly_ as drunk as me, Kir-aaah,” he hiccups.

Rey pretends to knock another back and giggles, “I’m seeing two of you, Ky-loooo.” She pretends to not know where he is and reaches out.

He grabs her wrist and pulls her towards him, it’s rough yet clumsy, she thinks it’s probably him seeing two of her. 

“How about all three of us,” he burps _loudly_ , “get out of here?” He waggles his eyebrows suggestively. She’s reluctant to admit it’s utterly charming. 

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Rhodian ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rodian)  
> [ Eriadu ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eriadu)  
> [ Carrion Plateau ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Carrion_Plateau)  
> [ Veermok ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Eriadu_veermok%22)  
> [ Giju ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Giju)  
> [ Rimma Trade Route ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rimma_Trade_Route)  
> [ Bounty Hunters’ Guild ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bounty_Hunters%27_Guild)  
> [ Ring of Kafrene ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Ring_of_Kafrene) \- I took a fair bit of creative license here with the whole 'shifting' thing - I just thought it was a cool concept!  
> [ Bith ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Bith)  
> [ Twi’lek ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Twi%27lek)  
> [ Fried Crispics ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Fried_crispic)  
> [ Rathtar ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Rathtar)  
> [ Loth Cat ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Loth-cat)  
> [ Corellian Brandy ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Corellian_brandy)  
> [ University of Rudrig ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/University_of_Rudrig)  
> [ KX-Series Security Droid ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/KX-series_security_droid)  
> [ Space Waffles ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Space_waffle)  
> [ Broth ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Broth)


	3. 3. Ring of Kafrene

“My ship isn’t fa-” she begins but is immediately cut off by his mouth _again_ as they stumble out of the bar and into the smoggy street. His tongue running across her own tastes absolutely rancid thanks to the brandy. Rey thinks the alcohol must be having an effect on her brain because despite her best efforts to **Keep Her Head In The Job** , he’s absolutely intoxicating.

“My place is closer,” he slurs, “trust me, it’s almost Shifting Time.”

Rey winces and checks chrono lighting up the building opposite, he’s right. The city’s throughways were due to shift anytime now and with the pace he’s stumbling and the fact she won’t know where she’s going, this great luggerbeast of a man would have sobered up by the time they got there.

Rey weighs up her options and decides it’s best to keep him occupied, keep him with her and hides her disappointment with a demure smile, “how close?”

He pulls her close, his paw of a hand, large and warm, sliding under her poncho to feel the hot skin of her waist. “Literally next door.” And he gives her a grin. She notes his charmingly crooked teeth, stained a little from the brandy. 

Rey resists another urge to groan, of course he lives right next to a dive bar. Although, the next thing she knows he’s pulled her down an alley and he’s throwing up into a trash compactor. 

Two men walk out of the door, she assumes she was about to enter before the brandy got the better of him but she pays them no mind and wonders what she’ll do with him now.

“Hey, you doing okay?” She asks and rubs his back in an attempt to soothe, being tactile was not in Rey’s nature.

He groans into the trash compactor again and then garbles, “have they gone?”

Rey furrows her brows and leans down so she’s at his level, and goes to brush his raven locks out from his face, an errant strand curling into his lip, “who?” 

“The pair of Trandoshans carrying some pretty heavy blasters who just walked out of my front door,” he makes another (Rey realises) over-the-top fake vomiting sound.

Rey looks around and spots the pair of figures who exited the building just a few moments ago, who were indeed Trandoshan. She could kick herself for missing that. 

Playing dumb Rey sighs, “oh, um. I think so?” She wraps her hands around herself, a little embarrassed, “Why? Do you think they’re looking for you?”

Kylo looks up, a drunken smile playing on his lips, “someone usually is, sweetheart.”

She laughs, even drunk out of his mind he’s still got his head in the game. No wonder he’s managed to stay hidden for so long. He stands up abruptly and she notices _again_ how _big_ he is. He absolutely towers over her, his broad shoulders blocking out the dim light crowd her into the wall. And Rey is _so_ into it.

Kylo grins down at her and Rey slips her hands up and around his neck, fusing her lips to his own. Even if he had just thrown up his guts for real, Rey thinks she still would have kissed him anyway.

“Hey you!” A voice booms just as Rey was getting into it.

Kylo winces and mumbles against her mouth, “someone always interrupts.” He turns from her and clumsily forces her behind him in some sort of macho protection, which annoys her to no end. 

“You talkin’ to me?”

Rey rolls her eyes, now is not the time for him to try and impress her with his heroics. She doesn’t need him dying on her. 

She eyes the pair of Trandoshans, one is carrying a tracking beacon that’s usually used by Guild members. ‘ _Fucking Imps, getting the Guild involved_ ’. She then kicks herself for not having the foresight that _of course_ they sent more Bounty Hunters and _of course_ they’re tracking her.

One is quite a bit taller than her, maybe even taller than Kylo, reptilian skin a deep olive colour and wearing overalls, it’s counterpart is a deep orange colour with scars covering its face.

“No one else here, is there?” The green one rasps in a heavy accent.

“How can I help you, gentlemen?” Kylo drawls.

“Kylo, I think we should go,” Rey begins and tugs his arm. If they leave now they might make it through before The Shifting and back to her ship. Kylo pats her waist in a way that’s supposed to be reassuring but does the complete opposite.

“You can come with us.” The pair of them hold up their blasters. 

Rey sighs from behind and places her hand on her own concealed weapon.

Kylo laughs, “as you can see,” he steps aside to show off Rey, “I’m a little busy. How about you come back tomorrow?”

Rey tries her best to look distressed and grips Kylo solid bicep. _Kriff, he’s solid._

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he mutters and adds on a wink for good measure, “I’ve got this.”

“We’ll take her too,” the orange one says, “she’ll come in handy on the trip back.”

“Probably make a fair amount of credits on a young thing like that,” the green one adds. His sharp yellow teeth were revealed by a sinister grin.

Kylo then pulls out his own blaster but with his dexterity less than ideal, he drops it and it shoots a blast in the opposite direction setting a trash compactor alight. Rey groans, fire means attention and attention means people, another addition to her ever-growing list of last things she needs.

“We don’t have time for this, stun them.” The green Trandoshan yells.

Rey sprints into action as Kylo scrambles on the floor in a drunken stupor trying to get control of his blaster. Rey shoots the green one in the dead on the spot. The orange one dives out of the way before she can get a lock on him.

Grabbing Kylo who is _still_ looking for his blaster, Rey tells him, “we’re going. **Now.** ”

Just as she manages to get him to his feet, he is _heavy_ and now is not the time for Rey to think about how _good_ that weight would feel on top of her. 

“Didn’t know you were such a sharper shooter,” Kylo says, “that’s fucking hot.”

“Hey! You two! Stop!” A voice calls out, it sounds like a security droid, someone who noticed the fire must have alerted them. 

Rey grabs Kylo by the scruff of the neck and pulls him in the opposite direction away from the inferno and murder scene. She doesn’t need to be arrested tonight either. 

Kylo yelps in surprise, “I didn’t take you for liking it rough either,” he says, “it’s making it even hotter.”

Why does it seem like this job isn’t going to be as easy as she first thought?

As they reach the end of the alley, Rey drags Kylo into the swarm of people making their way through the tight walkway. With so many forms of life on this piece of rock, they blend in easily but Rey knows they won’t be hidden for long. That orange Trandoshan was hot on their tail as they made a break for it. 

She pulls Kylo into a doorway that leads into a filthy diner, imported deep-fried gorgs line the walls as patrons tuck into the Tatooinian delicacy, Rey is unsurprised there’s so much different food in such a small place, Kafrene a trading post after all.

“I’m pretty hungry actually, good idea.” Kylo says distractedly as he slows to look at the gorg being fried behind the counter. Rey pulls him roughly along.

“No time,” she growls. Rey’s demure act is slipping, she knows it is. She needs to get it together but this chase was not on her to-do list tonight. Only Kylo.

Kylo dutifully follows and hoots, “eager to get me back to your ship, you naughty girl.”

She throws a withering glare over her shoulder and he’s grinning like an idiot from ear to ear. His dimples deep and cavernous, his eyes crinkling at their seams. If Rey had a heart, which she definitely _doesn’t_ , it might have skipped.

“Well since your place had a pair of Trandoshans waiting for us, it looks like _I’m_ the only one who’s going to get us anywhere private.”

They’ve slowed almost to a stop as a set of waiters bustle out of the kitchen with plates of steaming food, Kylo plucks some kind of minced patty from a dish and pops it into his mouth. All this man does is _eat._

“Are you going to get us back to the docking bay?” She asks innocently, “obviously I don’t know my way now the Shifting has begun.” Rey tries to sound breezy, casual even, when she’s actually bubbling with anger and annoyance. 

Rey stops and turns around to face him, hand on his chest and eyeing his big lips moving around the food in his mouth. There’s juice dripping down his chin, she smirks, leans up and goes to lick it off.

Kylo coughs, “this wa-”

He’s cut off by a blaster bolt shooting through the dining hall, Rey turns around the spots the orange Trandoshan aiming straight at them.

“He really wants you, huh.” Rey grits out and pulls Kylo out the back door.

Kylo stumbles and makes them both stop by a speeder bike rental station, he hands over a few credits to the vendor, “quickest way will be on one of these,” he says.

Rey nods quickly and hops on first, he raises his eyebrow, “oh go on. Let me drive.”

His grin turns all stupid again, “okay, but I get to ride first when we get to your ship.” 

Rey rolls her eyes in response but she knows she’s grinning like an idiot, Kylo moves to hop on behind her, his big hand barely touches her waist but is swiftly pulled off by the Trandoshan before he settles in behind her.

“Oi!” Rey shouts and gets off the bike but he holds a blaster at Kylo’s head.

“Move and he gets it,” he snarls.

Rey swings her leg back on the bike and puts her hands up. How did she miss him being so close? Kylo was getting her in way too much trouble.

“Kira, sweetheart. Don’t worry, I probably just owe this guy money. That’s it isn’t it?”

The Trandoshan laughs, “money? Oh there’ll be money but only once I hand you over, meatbag.”

Kylo’s face shows a sign of panic for the first time all night, “mother fu-”

And for the second time that night, he’s cut off by a blaster bolt shooting past his head. This time it lands in the Trandoshan's head and his grip on Kylo loosens before he falls to the dirty city street. 

Rey breathes a sigh of relief and jumps up to grab Kylo’s shoulders, “kriffing hell. Are you okay?”

Kylo wipes the goo off the side of his head, luckily it’s a few splatters and he didn’t get covered in it, “never better.”

She laughs and grabs a scarf she keeps in the pouch slung over her shoulder and wipes his face clear of the yellow goo. He squints down at her as she cleans him up, the look on his face is oddly affectionate.

He sighs, the thrill of the chase sobering him up a little and he dips his head to look at her dead in the eye, “there’s something about _you_ , isn’t there.” It’s said so softly, Rey is sure she misses it. Kylo cups her jaw in his paw-like hand. 

She opens up her mouth to respond when her comm beeps, she glances down and notes that it’s the droids confirming her ship is ready. She throws it on the vendor’s rental table. 

Kylo nods his head towards it in a silent question, “docking bay concierge, I was getting some repairs and refuelling done. It’s ready when I am.” Rey explains.

“I’m ready,” he mutters and dips his head to brush his lips against hers again, “are you?”

Rey bites her lip and allows herself to enjoy this moment. When she’s this close to him it’s like the whole world shuts off. It’s familiar, almost the same feeling as when she rests in her AT-AT back on Jakku.

“There he is!” _Another_ voice interrupts her thoughts. Rey resists the urge to groan loudly. _How many bounty hunters have trailed her here?_ She’ll be speaking with Plutt about this. 

Kylo turns his head to find out who interrupted them this time, his expression darkening. Rey keeps her eyes on his face this time. She can’t sense any immediate danger. Although, his face changes to panic when the voices get closer.

“Uhhh, yeah. We gotta go, for real this time, sweetheart.”

Rey is pulled out of her daze as Kylo hoists her onto the speeder in front, she yelps. “I’ll direct, you just make sure you don’t crash into anything, yeah?”

Anger bubbles in Rey’s belly at his assumption she can't handle a kriffing speeder.

Rey kicks the machine into life and takes a quick look over her shoulder to see if she could spot whoever called Kylo and spooked him into leaving right away. She only notices a blur of two figures and a round shape with a call of “come on! Stop!” Before they’ve sped off and into the night to make their way through the speeder lanes of Kafrene.

Kylo’s embrace is strong and insistent on her waist. He engulfs her completely and she gets so distracted she almost takes out an entire market stall. Almost.  


* * *

  
Poe kicks a brightly coloured can of fizzy Leena across the pathway in frustration. “We were so close, Finn!”

Finn nods and eyes the comm that’s been left sitting on the vendor’s table. 

“I can’t believe he bolted like that, I know he’s nervous about seeing his mother and he’s always had an eye for the ladies but co-”

Finn picks it up and switches it on, “Poe…” Realisation dawned on him what this is. 

“Who _was_ she? Do you think he’s been hiding out here with some girl? Why not introduce me?” Poe was pacing now, “I’m practically his brother.” He throws his hands up in the air and stomps back and forth between the speeders, BB-8 trails his master dutifully.

Finn sighed, Poe was spiralling, “Poe!”

Poe stops, BB-8 stopping abruptly at his master’s feet too, “what?”

“This comm,” he waves it at him and Poe looks at him blankly like it should mean anything to him.

“What about it? I’m a bit more preoccupied with the fact Ben saw us and **ran.** ”

He goes back to pacing, BB-8 at his heels, “what if he’s in more trouble?” Poe scratches his chin, “what if he’s got _her_ in trouble? Leia will kill him if he’s kno-”

Finn grabs Poe’s shoulders, “enough!”

Poe takes a breath and looks down at the comm in Finn’s hands, “what are you doing with that?”

“This comm, it’s the one linked to the Scavenger’s ship.”

It takes Poe five or six seconds to catch on to what Finn is saying, “The Scavenger…”

Finn nods solemnly, “is the girl.”

Poe immediately jumps on a speeder and throws some credits at the vendor, “we’ve gotta get back to the docking bay. Ben’s in trouble.”  


* * *

  
Rey brings the speeder to a slow stop at the entrance to the docking bay. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy Kylo’s strong grip on her waist. Maybe she could keep this ruse going for a little longer and enjoy a _little_ play on the job? Shaking her head, of course she won’t. **She’s A Professional.** And he’s a bounty, an incredibly tall, broad handso-

“Hope all these assassination attempts haven’t put a damper on our evening?” He asks playfully, shaking Rey from her thoughts. He offers her his hand as she slides off the speeder. He’s got an amused smile playing on those full lips of his.

Rey smiles, “if anything they’ve made it even more worth it.”

He grins and puts her arm into the crook of his elbow, “almost getting killed with you is the hottest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Rey laughs and pulls him through the busy foyer, to any onlookers they probably looked like a regular, happy, planet-hopping couple off on their next adventure; Rey’s non-existent conscience gave her a little kick. 

As they reach her bay, the ship is ready and has been prepped for take-off. Kylo whistles, “pretty fancy ship for a college graduate.”

And for the first time this evening, he looks a little suspicious, Rey can feel his suspicions in her gut. She stops shortly up the ramp and raises an eyebrow, “parental guilt.” Rey gives him a little shrug, “daddy felt bad about all those years he sent me away to finishing school.”

He grins in return, they _all_ love daddy issues. Kylo follows her up the ramp when that familiar voice rang out again.

“Stop! Don’t! She’s The Scavenger!” Rey’s head whipped around. 

It was a short man and a very handsome one at that, he was joined by another man, also very handsome, and a round droid running down the hallway towards their docking bay. They must be the ones from earlier who shot the Trandoshan.

Kylo sighs, “Poe! Do you mind? That’s a fucking rude thing to call a girl,” he looks back at Rey and mouths ‘ _sorry_ ’. 

And he begins to step down the ramp, “Kylo do-”

He cuts her off with one of his thick fingers to his lips, “shush sweetheart. Poe is an old friend. Been looking for me. I’ll tell him to give us a few hours.” And winks.

She shuts her eyes and sighs, guess this _isn’t_ going to be so easy.

This _Poe_ moves cautiously towards the door of the docking bay, Rey eyes the emergency door switch and wonders if a blaster bolt would do the trick or not.

“She’s not who she says she is,” he says quietly and nods towards Rey, “she’s out for your bounty,” he takes another step, “we’re here to _help_ , Ben.”

_Ben?_

Rey makes a frustrated sound, these Bounty Hunters will say _anything_ , won’t they? Who do they think they are? Can’t they see she’s got the bounty? There’s just no respect left in this Galaxy!

Kylo looks back at Rey with an eyebrow quirked.

Rey rolls her eyes and sighs deeply, lifting her hand and reaching out something **weird** happens. It’s as if she shoots a ball of energy from her fingertips, the heat of the moment, the stress of the situation and the pure need to get what she wants culminates and she knocks the emergency switch without needing the blaster. Shutting the doors right in front of these dirty-playing Bounty Hunters. 

He looks back at her in shock and something _else_ dawns on his face, “Kira, what are they ta-”

She elbows Kylo square in the face and knocks him out cold. He goes down like a tree. For such a big guy, he went down pretty easily.

“No!” The pair of men shout through the door and bang uselessly, “BB-8 get to work on this door! Get it open!” Poe punches it in frustration.

Rey groans, knowing she’ll need to rush now. She hates to rush. Hitting the ramp switch she drags Kylo up and into the main hold and leaves him passed out on the floor. He’ll be out until she gets airborne and the coordinates set.

_Ben?_

Poe bangs on the door fruitlessly, watching The Scavenger’s ship begin to take off.

“BB-8, what’s the hold-up, pal?” Finn asks.

The droid’s arm pokes furiously at the data cells and with one final push and electric spark they slide open. “No! No! No!” Poe yells as The Scavenger’s ship rises into the air effortlessly.

Finn grabs Poe’s shoulder, “there's no time for this, let's get back on our ship and tail them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars references:  
> [ Luggerbeast ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Luggabeast)  
> [ Trandoshan ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Trandoshan)  
> [Deep fried gorg ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Deep-fried_gorg)  
> [Speeder Bike ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Speeder_bike)  
> [ Leena ](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Leena_\(drink\))  
> 


End file.
